As more and more people go camping and fishing and barbecue in their own backyards, many cook their meals on portable tabletop gas grills. The grills being constructed today all seem to have a problem with the gas burner being blown out while cooking on a windy day due to the space between the underside of the grill and the surface on which it sits, which allows wind to blow underneath the grill. In addition to blowing the burner out, the wind decreases the heat inside the grill. Since wind seems to be a constant at outdoor cookouts, especially in campgrounds, there is a great need for a collapsible wind shield, adjustable in width, which will fit most portable rectangular gas tabletop grills to allow cooking in all weather conditions.
While there is some prior art, none was found that was designed to be used with portable rectangular gas tabletop grills, none was found designed to shield the burner of the gas grill from the sides and the end and none found is adjustable in width.
Young (U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,917xe2x80x94Jul. 19, 1994) designed a fire ring which encircles a campfire and holds cooking utensils above the fire. It is not designed for portable rectangular gas grills and is not practical to use therewith.
Gehrke (U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,349xe2x80x94Feb. 23, 1988) has designed a portable grill device which incorporates wind-guard walls. However, they are designed for use with his grill only and are not adaptable for other grill configurations.
Hall (U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,463xe2x80x94Dec. 1, 1998) has designed a multiple part device to constrain a campfire and hold heat beneath cooking utensils. His device employs a chimney to reduce heat loss. Again, this device is not designed for portable gas grills and would be impractical for such use.
Green, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,428xe2x80x94Nov. 9, 1999) has designed a retrofitable wind screen for round portable gas cookers. While it shields the gas flame from the wind and increases overall efficiency, while working as a safety device to keep the cooking utensil from being accidentally removed from the cooking surface, it is designed for a round cooker only, and would not be adaptable to, nor practical for, a portable rectangular gas tabletop grill.
Hedgpeth (U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,838xe2x80x94Oct. 3, 2000) has designed a gas grill which incorporates a series of wind resistant baffles to deflect the wind. The baffles are part of the grill and could not be adapted for portable rectangular gas tabletop grills.
The instant invention relates only to portable rectangular tabletop gas grills to provide protection from the wind and prevent the gas burner from being blown out while cooking. This invention also increases the temperature of the grilling area, which makes food cook more quickly. A warming pan, which slides under the grill, may be used to keep foods hot and to warm buns, rolls, etc. The warming pan may also be placed on the grate of the grill to use as a griddle.
This invention consists of 2 pieces of 16 gauge aluminum sheet metal, 14xc2xdxe2x80x3xc3x973xc2xdxe2x80x3, which fit on each side of a portable tabletop grill. An adjustable center piece made up of two pieces of equal length, one with a channel into which the other slides, allows the width to expand up to 12xe2x80x3 or more. A freestanding sheet metal door with wooden knob, 3xc2xdxe2x80x3 tall with xc2xdxe2x80x3 folds on top and bottom 1xc2xdxe2x80x3 bend at 88 degrees on the bottom edge, which is used as a stabilizing foot. Two 1xc2xdxe2x80x3 hinges attach the center bottom of each side panel to the adjustable center pieces at the base near the 90 degree bend. An 8xc2xdxe2x80x3xc3x9714xc2xexe2x80x3xc3x97xc2xdxe2x80x3 deep warming pan slides underneath the grill to keep foods hot or warm buns, rolls, etc.